On November 26, 2025, two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were participating in the deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard forces were shot near the Farragut West metro station in Washington, D.C., United States, two blocks away from the White House. One of the service members died later from her injuries, and the male suspect was critically wounded.
The suspect was later identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who had previously received paramilitary instruction under contract with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan. Following the attack, President Donald Trump announced his request for the deployment of an additional 500 National Guard troops and promised a further crackdown on immigration. The Trump administration blamed the attack on Biden-era policies, and some Republican politicians called to deport all Islamists.
Background
Before the shooting, the deployment of National Guard troops, including the contingent from the West Virginia National Guard, to Washington, D.C., was part of a broader domestic-military mobilization ordered in August 2025 by President Donald Trump. The troops were stationed near Farragut Square, approximately two blocks northwest of the White House, as part of patrols in downtown Washington. The deployment had been controversial, and a federal judge had ruled a week prior that such a deployment was unlawful. The ruling was stayed until December 11 pending an appeal by the Trump administration.
Shooting
The shooting occurred on November 26, 2025, outside the 17th street exit to the Farragut West metro station in Washington, D.C., two blocks northwest of the White House. The suspect leaned around the corner of the metro entrance and engaged 4 guardsmen with a .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, immediately inflicting head injuries on U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. In the minutes that followed Air Force Maj Edwin Stanfield and Army MAJ. Ryan S. Reynolds were able to disarm and subdue the assailant. Reynolds inflicted at least one gunshot wound to the assailant while Stanfield was able to disarm and stab him multiple times. One of the soldiers allegedly heard the shooter yell "Allahu Akbar".
Law enforcement officials described it as an ambush-style attack and said 10 to 15 shots were fired. West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey initially announced that two National Guard members had been killed in a shooting near the White House. Soon afterward, he backtracked, saying reports about their condition were conflicting.
A male suspect was taken into custody and was reported to be seriously injured, though not life-threatening, after being stabbed with a pocket knife by a guardsman, and also shot four times.
Victims
The two West Virginia National Guard members were identified as 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of Summersville, West Virginia. Both were initially transported by air medical services to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Beckstrom had enlisted with the National Guard in June 2023 and had been deployed to D.C. in August 2025. She died from her injuries on November 27, one day after the shooting. After Beckstrom's death, her body was escorted by motorcade from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center. National Guard and members of local law enforcement flanked the streets of the procession. She was buried in a private funeral at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, West Virginia, on December 10.
Wolfe had enlisted in February 2019, before he graduated from Musselman High School. He was listed in serious condition on December 1, but family members stated he was improving and responding to some commands by medical officials. By December 13, Wolfe was able to breathe on his own and stand without assistance and had been moved to physical rehabilitation at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
On February 24, 2026, President Donald Trump honored Wolfe and Beckstrom during the 2026 State of the Union Address, awarding Wolfe the Purple Heart and posthumously awarding Beckstrom the same medal.
Accused
The suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal (born February 9, 1996), a 29-year-old Afghan national of Pashtun background from Khost Province. Lakanwal did not cooperate with investigators. He entered the United States on September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome, a humanitarian parole program allowing vulnerable Afghans to enter and stay for two years without permanent immigration status. Lakanwal was last reported living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, where he has lived since his departure from Afghanistan. He applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted in April 2025.
In Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked for Unit 03—also known as the Kandahar Strike Force—an elite CIA-backed counterterrorism "Zero Unit" team, part of the Afghan National Directorate of Security in Kandahar Province. "Zero Units" were paramilitary groups "known for their brutality and labeled death squads", trained for nighttime raids on suspected Taliban members. A friend of Lakanwal said he "suffered from mental health issues and was disturbed by the casualties his unit had caused". Lakanwal first worked with the CIA in 2011.
Lakanwal began refusing to eat food and sometimes to even drink, and was hospitalized as a result in July 2026 due to his deteriorating condition. A protective order which prevented the government from accessing Lakanwal's medical records was lifted after an emergency hearing after it was concluded that prosecutors should have access to Lakanwal's recent medical records.
Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will investigate the shooting as an act of possible terrorism.
Following the shooting, federal agents, along with the FBI, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office and the Bellingham Police Department executed search warrants at the Walton Place apartments in Bellingham, and seized several electronic devices including cell phones, laptops, and iPads. Subsequent search warrants were also executed at another residence in San Diego, California, where Lakanwal also had ties to the city itself.
Legal proceedings On December 2, 2025, Lakanwal appeared before D.C. Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond and pled not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and illegal possession of a firearm. He remotely connected from a hospital bed with an interpreter. Lakanwal stated he was in pain and could not open his eyes.
Lakanwal was initially charged in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges of transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with the intent to commit an offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, and transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce. Additionally, Lakanwal was charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in violation of the Code of the District of Columbia. Lakanwal was arraigned on February 4, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to all charges. On June 16, 2026, Lakanwal was arraigned on a superseding indictment charging him with additional federal offenses including murder of person assisting a federal officer, three counts of attempted murder of person assisting a federal officer, discharge of a firearm causing death and three counts of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Because some of these offenses are punishable by death, the Department of Justice is currently conducting administrative review to determine whether it will seek the death penalty against Lakanwal.
After Lakanwal was hospitalized during a hunger strike, United States District Judge Amit Mehta issued a court order allowing Lakanwal to be force fed and receive nonconsensual medical treatment until Lakanwal was no longer at risk of death.
Aftermath Hours after the shooting, Trump requested 500 additional National Guard troops to be deployed to Washington, D.C. Trump invited the family of Sarah Beckstrom to the White House after speaking with them and announced he had extended the same offer to the family of Andrew Wolfe.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued a proclamation for all West Virginians to observe a statewide moment of silence or prayer the afternoon of November 28 and for all flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of both service members and Beckstrom's death. The town of Summersville, where Beckstrom lived after high school, held a candlelight vigil for her on November 29.
Immigration Reuters described Republican politicians as blaming the Biden administration for poor vetting even though the suspect was granted asylum under the Trump administration. A number of Republican legislators also received criticism for their previous stance on immigration from Afghanistan, including Kentucky Representative Andy Barr. Axios described Republicans as increasing anti-immigration rhetoric following the shooting with calls to "deport them all," with Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville calling on banning all Islamic immigrants and to deport "every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack". The New York Times described Trump as using the shooting to cast suspicion on all refugees without evidence. On November 27, when asked if he was considering deporting all Afghans based on the crime of one man, Trump said, "No, but there's a lot of problems with Afghans," repeated claims of crime by immigrants, and said he was "looking at" deporting the wife and children of the suspect. Trump then pivoted to discussing Somali refugees in Minnesota, saying they were "taking over" the state. When asked what Somali refugees had to do with the Afghan suspect, Trump responded, "Ah, nothing, but Somalians have caused a lot of trouble; they're ripping us off a lot of money," following which he proceeded to criticize Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia. The Associated Press reported that Afghan immigrants were afraid to leave their houses for fear of being deported or attacked with hate speech following the shooting, and refugee groups worried about Afghans being considered guilty by association.
On November 27, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that all immigration applications for Afghan nationals were halted indefinitely, pending a review of security and vetting procedures. Also, under President Trump's direction, USCIS announced that it will re-examine all green cards issued to individuals from the 19 "countries of concern" listed in Proclamation 10949. USCIS said in a statement that when reviewing immigrants from those countries, the agency will now consider "negative, country-specific factors," including whether the country is able to issue "secure identity documents." That evening, Trump announced on social media he would "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries" and denaturalize migrants "who undermine domestic tranquillity," following which he proceeded to mock Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's intelligence regarding Somali immigrants and Ilhan Omar's hijab.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow tweeted that "USCIS has halted all asylum decisions".
Some refugee-advocacy organizations, such as IRAP, have criticized the administration's decision to suspend all asylum decisions after the shooting, calling it an unusually broad measure with serious consequences for those seeking protection. These organizations asserted that the government had not presented evidence linking asylum seekers as a group to the attack. They warned that the suspension could put vulnerable applicants at greater risk.
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